The Day Everything Changed Revised Edition
by Mr. FanficGuy
Summary: For some reason I decided to do a rewrite of my first fanfic. By the way, I also split it into chapters to match up with my other fanfics on here. I hope you all enjoy it. Final Chapter is up. Please review.
1. The Day Before

**The Day Everything Changed**

It was Friday July 1, 2005, which was the last day of classes at Ryouou High School before the two month summer break. Now, keep in mind that since this is Japan, this was only the end of the year's first trimester, as the school year had started on Monday April 4, 2005. Most of the students as well as the faculty were looking forward to vacation, and expected a quiet last day of classes.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be the case this time. For 4 young girls, all first-years, 10th grade in Japan, it became a day they would never forget. And for two of them, Konata Izumi and Kagami Hiiragi, it went down as one of the most terrifying days of their lives. However, it was also the day that would wind up making their true feelings for each other known.

_**Thursday June 30th, 3:30 pm**_

After an agonizingly long day of first trimester finals, the dismissal bell rang. As the classroom emptied out, the teacher for that class, Nanako Kuroi, shouted out to her students, "Now don't forget, class, the results of your trimester exams will be posted by tomorrow morning". As the students exited Ms. Kuroi's classroom, one could see them all in their school summer uniforms. As there were only one for each gender (Guys= military style uniform. Gals= sailor fuku uniform) it was kind of hard to tell who was which at times.

Among the students exiting, were Konata and Kagami, who, like everyone else, had just finished their final trimester exams. Konata sighed, "Man, I'm bushed. That last exam was brutal". Kagami responded by saying, "Yeah, I know what you mean. It was a doozy. But then again, I'm not the one who spent only one all-nighter studying". "Well, after tomorrow, we won't have to deal with school for the next 2 months"! Konata exclaimed. They then heard a familiar voice behind them say, "Yoo-hoo! Sis! Kona-chan! Over here!". They both turned around and they saw Kagami's twin sister Tsukasa Hiiragi, running up to them. Konata greeted her with a resounding "Hiya Tsukasa". "Wasn't that last exam hard"?, Tsukasa asked. "Yeah", Konata and Kagami both replied at once. "Hello everyone!" came the soft spoken voice of Miyuki Takara, another friend of theirs and the youngest of the four girls. Kagami greeted her with "Oh, hey Miyuki".

As the four girls were talking about exams and the upcoming vacation, another girl by the name of Sakura Takahashi (高橋 サクラ) peered out from behind the door. This girl was a 19 year old second year student, having been held back twice. Takahashi was also one of the school bullies, having beat up every girl that she thought had it better than her, which pretty much equated to all of them.

As she looked out the door, she saw the four girls leaving and said to herself, "Damn that Hiiragi! I hate her so much! She always has all the luck!". Out of all of Sakura's potential victims, Kagami, for some reason, was the one girl that she absolutely despised, although Kagami was always oblivious to this fact. While walking out, Sakura thought to herself, "Well, all that will change by tomorrow. If all goes well, she'll be in a full body cast by the time I'm done with her!". With that she gleefully ran home to plan her evil deed.

_**7:30 pm**_

That night, our four heroines had met at the downtown Teen Center. All of them had changed into more casual clothing. After a few minutes of searching, they finally found an empty table and sat down in it. "So now that we're here, what should we talk about?", Kagami asked. "Oh, I have one.", Miyuki responded, "You know how my father is always away on business?". "Oh yes, and how you hardly ever see him?", Tsukasa asked. "Yes, well, he finally got some time off. So he'll be home again with us for a few weeks. He should be here by the time school ends tomorrow.", Miyuki said joyfully. "Wow, that's great, Miyuki-san." Konata replied. "You know, my cousins are staying at my place for the summer, too. They could be here by the time I get home tonight", she continued excitedly.

"Not to mention our birthday is next Thursday", Kagami and Tsukasa both chimed in at once. "Oh yeah! That's right!", Konata said. "You two are going to be turning 16, is that correct?", Miyuki asked. "Yes, of course we are!", the twins said eagerly. Konata responded, "That's totally awesome. I totally know how that milestone feels". (Konata had just turned 16 back on May 28th, while Miyuki would be turning 16 in a few months, on October 25th). "If I'm correct, your birthday is on the same day as the Tanabata festival", Miyuki stated. "Oh, yeah. That's right", the twins chimed in.

Suddenly, they heard a loud squeak, which was caused by a boy testing the microphone for the karaoke section. Meanwhile another boy was testing the video screen where the lyrics would be displayed. By the way, this teen center had it all. Aside from that, there were also 8 big screen TV's, 12 vending machines, 20 different game tables, 16 different arcade games and even a low-priced restaurant (giving the center the appropriate name of "Everything in One").

Now, getting back to the story, as soon as everything was all clear, the two girls (twin sisters both in their late 20's) who owned the place rushed up to the karaoke area and said together, "All right everyone! The Karaoke section is now officially open!". Then one of them said, "Now as always, we will now pick somebody at random to start us off. Would you do the honors, Hina?". The other girl said, "I will be glad to do that, Yuna, and that somebody will be...", then pointing at Kagami, said "This young lady over here".

Back over at the table, Konata, Tsukasa, and Miyuki cheered Kagami on, as she nervously made her way to the stand. Yuna asked her, "And what song do you feel like singing?". Kagami thought for a moment and said, "Do you have Velvet Darkness?". Looking through the album list, Hina said, "Yep, we sure do. I'll tell the guys up there in the control booth to put it in. Just give us the signal when you're ready". She and her partner then left the stage.

Facing the audience, Kagami took a deep breath and explained, "Um, I haven't done this in a while. So I apologize if my singing isn't all that good.", then looking up at the control booth stated, "All right, I'm ready". At the booth, Hina and Yuna got the signal and said, "Fire it up, boys!". One of them put the CD in, and the other one programmed the lyrics onto the screen.

The music started playing, and the spotlight shined on her. After a few moments, Kagami took a deep breath and began to sing.

_I'm carrying so much anxiety alone that it hurts. On sleepless nights it slams me_  
_These days we can't even dream. Boring dreams._

_In a corner of this town, as biting as the desert_  
_We held our breath, put our arms around each other and kissed_

_Our love is laid bare. And melts into the velvet darkness_  
_I'll take your hand. And lead you to where happiness shines its light_  
_Embracing the moment…_

It turns out that Kagami had an excellent singing voice despite her thoughts otherwise, and the audience was completely entranced. Back at the table, the other girls were probably the most entertained.

"Gee, Sis sure sings beautifully, doesn't she Yuki-chan?", Tsukasa asked. "Oh yes indeed very much so.", Miyuki answered. "What do you think of her singing, Konata-san?" she then asked, but got no response the first time. "Konata-san?", she asked again a little more impatiently. Konata, who was absolutely and completely mesmerized by Kagami's beautiful voice, simply responded with, "It's the most beautiful singing I've ever heard".

Konata never let anyone know it, but she secretly had a crush on Kagami ever since they first met in the 7th grade. And this was not your standard crush either. Oh no sir, this was a HUGE crush, but Konata had always been too scared to tell Kagami her true feelings for her. "If only I could muster up the courage to tell her", she thought to herself, "If only she knew how I really feel about her" At that time, Kagami finished the song to a standing ovation from the audience. Konata jumped on top of the table and yelled "All right, Kagami! You go, girl!". Kagami smiled and took a bow to the enthusiastic audience.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Chapter revised on Sunday **April 15, 2012**

Sakura is named after either **Hiroyuki Takahashi **(高橋 博行) or **Mariko Takahashi **(高橋 真梨子). The former was the animation director on Episodes 10 and 17. He also did key animation on Episodes 5 and 6, and created the art settings for the anime itself. The latter did key animation on Episodes 9, 15, 24, and the opening sequence, and she was also the assistant animation director on Episode 9.

Velvet Darkness, otherwise known as Biroodo No Yami, was a 2005 single from the group Kinki Kids. At the time our story takes place it ranked in the Top 5 in the Japan Top 40 charts.


	2. The Nightmare and Arrival at School

_**Friday July 1st, 4:48 am**_

Konata, who had fallen asleep watching her anime and reading her manga again, tossed and turned rapidly inside her bed, and yelled out in her sleep. This had gotten the attention of her younger cousin, Yutaka Kobayakawa, who had just gotten in. Seeing Konata clearly having a terrible nightmare, Yutaka quickly ran into the bedroom, turned on the light and shook Konata awake while saying, "Onee-chan! Wake up!". That did the trick as Konata bolted up, screaming with two manga issues flying off of her head (One was Sgt. Frog and the other was Haruhi Suzumiya). In fact, the technique worked a little bit _too _well, for as Konata shot up she ended up accidentally hitting Yutaka right in the face.

"Oh my god! Yu-chan, I am so sorry! I didn't know you were there", she sputtered, apologetically. "Oh it's all right, Konata. You didn't mean it. It was kind of my fault, but I had to wake you, because you were having a nightmare", Yutaka reassured her, while rubbing her nose. "Oh right, well I'm sorry if I woke you up", Konata apologized. "Oh you didn't wake me at all. Me and Yui just got in a few minutes ago.", Yutaka responded. At that moment, Konata's older cousin Yui Kobayakawa (she wasn't married to that Narumi guy yet) poked her head in the door and eagerly exclaimed "What's up, Konata-chan! How ya doing?". "Oh hiya, Yui Nee-san.", Konata responded. "I tell ya, I just had the scariest dream". "Oh really? Well I'm sure it couldn't have been that scary", Yui stated. "Oh believe me, it was scary", Konata explained.

"You see, Kagami and I were at school one day. Suddenly, this random girl emerged from the shadows of the hall out of nowhere, and started attacking Kagami. I tried to stop her, I really tried, but I couldn't move at all. I mean, it was like I was physically stuck to the floor, and I tried to yell for someone to help, but my voice wouldn't work either". As Konata was explaining her nightmare to them, tears filled her eyes. "The last thing I remember was Kagami screaming, 'Someone, help! She's going to kill me!'. I was so scared for her. She's my best friend and I couldn't help her. Can you imagine not being able to help your best friend?". As she said those last few words, she felt the tears rolling down her face, and she began to sob.

Seeing this unexpected emotional outburst, Yui and Yutaka both embraced their cousin. "Please don't cry, Onee-chan. It was only a dream.", Yutaka answered, trying to console her. "Yeah, besides, it's not like these sorts of dreams ever come true". Yui concurred. After a few moments, Konata finally regained her composure and wiping away her tears said, "I-I guess you're right. I mean, what are the odds of that happening in real life." She then stood up, looked outside, and could just see the sun rising higher in the sky (The actual sunrise that morning was at 4:28 am Japan Standard Time).

Well, technically, she couldn't see the sun very well through the clouds. She then said, "I think I might as well get ready for school now, because there's no way I'll be able to get back to sleep". Konata put her bathrobe on her arm and said, "Oh by the way, Yu-chan, as long as guys are here, you guys can crash in my room if you want". "Thank you, Onee-chan", Yutaka said, hugging her again. "Sure, anything for you guys.", as she walked down the hall to the bathroom. "Oh, be careful not to wake your dad. He just went to bed.", Yui reminded her. "Don't worry, I'll be careful.", Konata told her.

"By the way, I think you knocked out my last baby tooth", Yutaka added as she held the tooth in her hand. "I'm so sorry, Yu-chan. I really didn't mean it", Konata reiterated, as she grabbed a piece of tissue and put it where Yutaka's tooth had been. "Oh don't worry", Yutaka explained to her, "It was already loose and it was giving me grief". "Oh well, I didn't really know that", Konata answered, "That's a sign that you're really growing up". "To think, I'm 13 and a half. And I'm only losing my last baby tooth now", Yutaka responded, "Usually, by the time kids are 12 all their adult teeth are in". "Well, it does make you cuter that way", Konata empathized as she grabbed her clothes and her bathrobe and went to the bathroom to take her shower.

_**7:12 am**_

About 2 and a half hours later, Konata was waiting outside the house for the bus. She had on an orange T-shirt, green shorts, blue sneakers and sunglasses with square lenses, even though she didn't really need them today. On the last day of school, students at Ryouou didn't have to wear their school uniform. "Boy it's warm out this morning", she mumbled to herself as the school bus pulled up to the house. She got on the bus and searched for a seat. "Konata-san! You can sit over here if you want to.", Miyuki said as Konata moved next to her. She had on a white blouse, a black denim skirt and grey dress shoes.

"Isn't it warm out today, Miyuki-san?", Konata asked. To that Miyuki responded, "Yes, it is. When I left this morning it was exactly 77 degrees Fahrenheit, of course with the 89% humidity rate and the dewpoint at 73 degrees Fahrenheit, it feels even warmer, despite the amount of clouds out right now". "How the hell do you know these things?", Konata asked, clearly astounded by her knowledge. "I have this little thing on my bureau, that says all those facts when I push the button", Miyuki answered.

"Oh, OK then. By the way, did your father get in yet?", Konata asked. "Yes, he did, and much earlier than I thought he would.", Miyuki said eagerly. "He got in at exactly 2:46 am this morning. I was up most of the night with excitement, whereas I usually fall asleep no later than 10:00 pm.", she added. "I know what you mean, I didn't get much sleep last night either, you see, after the late-night anime block ended, I decided to catch up on Haruhi and Sgt. Frog, and I think I fell asleep reading them at like half past two". Konata said.

"Oh really?" Miyuki asked. "By the way, my cousins didn't get in until almost 5. Yutaka woke me up right as soon as she got in. Good thing she did, because I was having the worst nightmare". Konata responded back. "Oh?", Miyuki wondered. Konata then explained in vivid detail her nightmare to her. "Well, Konata-san. I don't think you have to worry about that becoming a reality", Miyuki reassured her.

At the same time, the bus had reached the Hiiragi's house, and Kagami and Tsukasa entered the bus. The older twin had on a green tanktop, a blue skirt, white sneakers, and sunglasses with round lenses, while the younger twin had on a white T-shirt, blue overalls, and red sneakers. "Good morning, Kona-chan. Good morning Yuki-chan.", Tsukasa said. "Hey you guys. What's up?", Kagami asked. "Oh, nothing really.", Konata answered back, "Excited about this being our last school day before summer break".

Konata did not dare tell either Kagami or Tsukasa about her nightmare for fear that it would cause them needless worry. Instead she put the thought away from her brain, and did not think anymore of it for the rest of the ride to school. As they got off the bus, just out of the corner of her eye, Konata could see a girl grumbling and muttering to herself, and clearly looking quite angry. The mysterious girl was also carrying something in her hand, but Konata couldn't tell what the object was. She got the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but she didn't think much more about it as she and the others walked inside.

* * *

Author's Notes

Chapter revised on Sunday** April 15, 2012**


	3. The Calm Before the Storm

**7:54 am**

Everyone was looking at the bulletin board to see how they did on the finals for their respective classes. Konata scanned the board trying to find her results, which she finally saw after like 30 seconds of searching. "All right!" she shouted. Kagami overheard her and asked, "So how'd you do, Ms. All Nighter?". Konata responded, "I got an **82**. So that's a solid **B- **for me". "Wow, you actually passed. That's great, Konata", Kagami congratulated, then added under her breath, "But I swear, I'll never understand how your trademark all-nighters always seem to work out for you". "So how did you do, Kaga-min?", Konata asked. "I got a **96**. So if I'm right, that's an **A**.", Kagami replied.

"Hey look, Sis. I got a **86**! That's a **B**.", Tsukasa said excitedly. "Wow, that's great, Sis. Much better than the last final.", Kagami answered. "All that tutoring you gave me really paid off.", Tsukasa said. "Maybe it did.", Kagami replied back. Then Konata asked, "Hey, Miyuki-san. How did you do?". She didn't get a response the first time. "Miyuki-san?", Konata asked again. "Oh, sorry. Uh, what was that again?", Miyuki asked. To that, Konata reiterated, "How did you do on the exam?". Before she could even say anything, Konata saw Miyuki's exam score on the billboard, and exclaimed, "No way! A perfect **100**! That's an **A+**! That's the best of the class!".

Kagami and Tsukasa also took a look. "Not only best in the class, probably the best in the whole school!", Kagami chimed in. "Yeah, that's way better than I could ever do!", Tsukasa added. Miyuki blushed and simply said, "Well, it's might be because I've been doing a ton of studying over the last couple of weeks". To that end, Konata disagreed and said, "Oh come on, Miyuki-san, don't be so modest. You're the only girl I know of that can explain things just like they do in an encyclopedia!". Miyuki turned an even deeper shade of red and said, "Well, I guess it could be how I got into the habit of looking things up as a child".

At that time, Mrs. Kuroi came out of her classroom, looked at the students gathered around the billboard displaying the results of the exams, and said, "All right, people! I know you're interested to see how you did, but you should all be getting to your homerooms right about now. It's almost time for class to start.", before walking back into her room. Most of the students got the hint and scrambled to their classroom.

Meanwhile, Sakura walked toward the billboard, and was at first having second thoughts about what she planned to do. But when she saw the results, she was shocked. She not only had the lowest score of any girl in the school, but the lowest score in the whole school. She ended up only getting a **30** and even she had enough of a brain to know that was a big fat **F**. When Sakura saw Kagami's results, that is when she was pushed over the edge. "WHAT? Hiiragi got a 96 and I only get a 30?", she screamed out loud.

It was at this point that Sakura had made up her mind. She would go forward with her plan to get revenge on Kagami. "Oh, now she's gone too far! That little bitch is gonna get it now! When I see her again, I'll beat her to a quivering pulp!", Sakura thought to herself. "Oh I ain't gonna kill her. No, I won't take it quite _that_ far. But by the time I'm finished with her, she'll be _wishing_ she was dead!", she continued on. "Anyway, before I dish out my own form of justice, I need to get myself pumped up", she added into her thoughts.

No one knew how she had done it, but Sakura had managed to smuggle in Deiselbolan v2.0 and Anadrol 50, two of the strongest steroids known to man and a hypodermic needle into her bag. She ran into the girls' bathroom, walked into an open stall, and locked the door behind her. She then filled the syringe part of the needle full of a combination of the Anadrol and the Deiselbolan, and injected the needle right into the big vein on her arm. "Oh yeah baby! I feel those juices flowing", she said to herself, laughing, as she felt the steroids taking effect, "Hiiragi will never know what hit her".

**9:16 am**

Ms. Kuroi got up out of her seat and said, "Well, once 3:30 comes along, you guys will be out of school for the next two months. But now don't forget, you're all still students here, so please behave yourselves this summer and don't go out and cause trouble, all right?". The students remained silent. "Because if you guys get all delinquent out there, you're gonna ruin _my_ vacation", she continued, "Behave yourselves! I'm begging you!". The other students sighed and murmured that they'd behave. As Ms. Kuroi continued going over the things to watch out for during summer break to the other students, Konata and Tsukasa managed to quietly have a conversation.

"Hey Tsukasa, what are you going to do this summer?", Konata asked. "Oh, we really don't have anything planned for right now, except for Sis and I having our 16th birthday next week.", Tsukasa answered, then she asked, "What are you going to do during summer break, Kona-chan?". "Oh, you know, the usual stuff, watching anime, reading manga, and playing video games.", Konata responded, then she asked, "By the way have you ever heard of the **Haruka Seventeen **manga?". "Yes, but I've never actually read one. Isn't that a manga for guys?", Tsukasa answered.

"Well, yeah I'll admit. Anyway, I've read all of the issues, and they made a live action version of it. I can't wait to see the first episode tonight. l got to remember, 11:15 pm on Channel 38 (the TV Asahi station for the Saitama prefecture)," Konata replied back, then she added, "Oh, and that War of the Worlds movie came out a couple days ago. I can't wait to see it this weekend". To that Tsukasa asked, "Why do you want to see such a scary movie, Kona-chan?". Konata replied to her question with, "I love these kinds of movies, especially those with aliens and being able to watch stuff blow up. It actually seems pretty similar to some of the video games I play".

Meanwhile, Ms. Kuroi finally finished explaining things, and said "Okay, now before you guys leave, I'm going to hand back the exams you guys took yesterday so you can show your families how hard you worked". As she went around the room, she commented on each student's performance.

Ms. Kuroi handed Konata her exam and said, "Well Izumi, nice job. Let me guess, another all-nighter?". Konata shrugged and answered, "You know me too well, Ma'am". Ms. Kuroi then handed Tsukasa her exam and said, "Very good, Hiiragi. Much better than your midterm". Tsukasa blushed and said, "Thank you, Ma'am. Sis helped me study for it this time.". About a minute or two later, the bell for next class rang, and the students headed out. Ms. Kuroi called out to her students, "Have a nice summer, class! And remember, don't cause any trouble!".

**10:26 am**

After another long class ended, Konata and Kagami finally met each other in the hall. "Hiya Kaga-min! What's up?", Konata asked. "Oh hey, Konata. Nothing really.", Kagami replied. "How about you?", she asked. To that, Konata admitted, "Actually, I had a really bizzare dream last night, and its been bugging me all day.". Kagami wondered, "Oh really? Well, we have study hall in the library together next. Maybe we could talk about it there". So with that they went up to the library. They found a table and they both sat down.

"So Konata, what was this dream you had?" Kagami asked, "Did you dream that you turned into the incredible shrinking girl, or wait, wait, did you dream that you actually cared about your schoolwork for once?", she added, giggling at the thought. Konata glared at her and said, "No. For the record, it was much worse, and you were in the dream too".

"Hey now, wait a minute, what's that supposed to mean?", Kagami demanded, angered by what she had just heard, "Do you mean to say that you hate me". "Just hear me out, all right?", Konata reiterated, "This is serious" Just as she was about to speak, Tsukasa appeared and said, "Hi there Sis. Hiya Kona-chan. What's going on?" as she sat down. Konata explained, "Well Tsukasa, since you're here, I might as well tell you too". "Tell me about what?", Tsukasa wondered.

Konata then explained her nightmare to the two in full detail and how scary it was. Tsukasa, who was clearly freaked out stated, "Wow, that is scary. I hope nothing like that ever happens to any of us". Kagami, on the other hand was skeptical, and replied to her sister, "Don't worry Sis, dreams like that almost never happen in real life". Then she saw Konata next to her, who was near tears again.

She got up, put her arm around her friend and said, "Oh, come on, Konata. Don't worry about that. Like I said, what are the odds of that happening to any of us?". Konata wiped her eyes and said, "I guess you're right, Kagami. I mean, really, who'd want to hurt any of us? We haven't done anything wrong to anyone". Kagami responded, "There, now that's positive thinking". Not another word was said on the subject after that.

**10:37 am**

Anyway, the three were looking through their bags looking for books to read. Kagami looked in her bag and thought, "Ah crap. I must have left my books in my locker" after she discovered she didn't have any reading material. She looked at Konata and Tsukasa and said, "Hey I'll be right back. I need to go to my locker to get my books". Konata started to rise out of her seat and asked, "Do you want me to go with you?". "No thanks, my locker's right down the hall." Kagami replied.

However, upon seeing the clearly concerned look on Konata's face, Kagami tried to reassure her by saying, "Don't worry Konata, I'll be all right. I promise." With that said, she then walked down the couple of steps down to the hallway. As she walked down to her locker, Kagami thought to herself, "Gee, it sure is quiet in here. In fact, maybe it's a little _too_ quiet in here".

It _was_ quiet, except for a few classes on the far ends of the hall, the whole second floor was pretty much deserted during this period. What Kagami didn't know, was that Sakura, still high on Anadrol and Deiselbolan, and carrying a metal pipe in one hand and a pocket knife in the other, was watching her every move from the stairwell nearby and waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. As Kagami got out her books and closed her locker, Sakura decided that now was her chance and ran towards her.

She called out, "Hiiragi! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!". Kagami replied, "Oh hello, is there something I can help you with?". Sakura then removed the pipe from behind her back and answered, "You bet there is! I've been putting up with your bullshit for too long! Now it's payback time!" as she raised her weapon to attack. Kagami, realizing what Sakura's true intentions were, asked fearfully, "H-huh? W-what's going on? W-What did I do?", as she braced for impact.

Meanwhile, back inside the library, Konata was pacing anxiously around the table, growing both impatient and worried. "Where the hell is she? It doesn't take her this long just to get a goddamn book!", she demanded. Tsukasa, trying in vain to calm Konata down, replied, "Please calm down, Kona-chan. I-I'm sure she'll be back any moment now". At the same time, Miyuki walked up to the two girls and replied, "Hello Konata-san and Tsukasa-san. What are you two doing?". Tsukasa answered her with, "Oh hi there Yuki-chan. We're waiting for my sister to come back and Kona-chan's got herself all worried about her".

Suddenly, they heard a painful, blood curdling, high pitched shriek from outside the door. Konata felt her heart plummet into her stomach at that instant as she thought, "Oh God, no!". "What on earth was that noise?", Tsukasa asked jumping back. "That's the same thing that I'm wondering", Miyuki answered, equally stunned.

"I have a hunch, but I just got to pray that I'm wrong. But just in case, you two wait by the door in case I need you", Konata commanded. To that, Tsukasa and Miyuki nodded "yes" and replied, "We will!". And with that, Konata ran out the door and down the stairs. Much to her horror, she was seeing her worst nightmare playing out right in front of her, as this random girl had appeared out of the dark shadows of the hall and was now beating the living daylights out of Kagami.

* * *

Author's Notes

Chapter revised on Sunday **April 15, 2012**

**Haruka Seventeen** (はるか 17) - a live action TV drama series based on the seinen manga written by Sayaka Yamazaki (山崎 さやか). It ran for 10 episodes on TV Asahi on Friday nights at 11:15 p.m, from July 1, 2005 to September 16, 2005.


	4. Under Attack and the Aftermath

**Content Warning for Chapter 4: **The scene that is about to play out is _extremely_ violent, dark in nature, and could be disturbing for some readers. This is where the story really earns its PG-13 rating, and where things really start to get fucked up. Therefore, reader discretion is _strongly_ advised.

* * *

**10:40 am**

While Konata was rushing to the scene, Sakura had managed to bash Kagami several times as hard as she could with the pipe with astounding speed (twice in her right arm, and once in each leg) and slash her left arm severely with the pocket knife, causing blood to start spurting out all over the floor. Konata made it to the scene and shouted, "Hey you! Get the hell away from her!".

Sakura turned to look at Konata and laughed. She then pulled out a little notepad from her back pocket (her "List of Victims" as she liked to call it) and turned to the page listed Friday July 1st. She then closed it, put it back in her pocket, and said smugly, "Well Izumi, I don't seem to have you penciled in for today. But I guess I can squeeze you in too. If you want to get some hurting too, well come and get it, if you dare, of course".

Even though Sakura was a full 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) taller and likely about 30 to 40 kilograms (about 66 to 88 pounds) heavier, Konata charged at her at full speed, jumped in the air and gave her a karate kick to the face. At the same time, Sakura had managed to punch Konata in the face just before she herself was hit. Both girls fell to the ground and immediately started to grab at each other.

Konata grabbed Sakura by the neck while Sakura rammed Konata into the lockers, knocking Konata out cold. "Oh my god! Konata!", Kagami called out as Sakura charged back at her and asked delightedly, "Now where were we?". She then sadistically slammed Kagami in the right arm four more times, and in each leg three more times each. With every single hit, Kagami screamed louder as her pain rapidly multiplied.

**10:41 am**

Konata came to after a few seconds, and she saw Sakura grab Kagami's right arm, savagely twist it and heard her proclaim proudly, "I've always wanted to do this". This caused Kagami, having run out of screams, to whimper, "Stop it, please! I can't take it anymore!". At this point, believing that she was screwed, Kagami began to cry and tears began to fall down her face.

By way of contrast, Sakura laughed heartily, borderline maniacally, at her enemy's misfortune, and then slashed her in the right leg with the pocket knife, causing more blood to squirt out onto the floor. Clearly, Sakura was enjoying every moment of Kagami's suffering. She then boasted arrogantly, "You're mine, you little bitch! Now nobody can save you!".

The sight of Sakura getting joy out of Kagami's suffering infuriated Konata beyond any possible means of comprehension. She thought to herself, "She's on the ground crying and begging you to stop! AND YOU'RE LAUGHING AT HER? WHAT THE HELL DID SHE EVER DO TO HURT YOU?". Konata was now more determined than ever to avenge Kagami and get even with her assailant.

As she stood up, she growled, "Oh, you've crossed the line now, asshole! Now _you're_ gonna get it!". With all the strength she had left, Konata jumped on top of Sakura. This caused the sadist to finally let go of Kagami, who by this point was laying down on the floor.

**10:42 am**

Sakura demanded, "What the hell are you doing? Get the fuck off of me, you good for nothing bitch!", while trying to throw Konata off of her. To that, Konata punched Sakura in the face about five or six times. She then growled at her through clenched teeth, "You know, you've picked a REALLY bad day to piss me off, you shit for brains sadistic psychopath!". The bright red glow of rage in Konata's eyes was all that was needed to show how far she was beyond angry at that moment.

Konata then pulled Sakura's hair as hard as she could, which caused both girls to fall to the ground. In response to that, Sakura struck Konata in the left arm four times and in the right leg three times with the pipe as hard as she could, hoping against hope that it would get her off. But, much to her dismay, not only did the cheap attack not work, but it only served to make Konata even _more_ pissed off. At this point, Sakura realized that her evil plan was falling apart right in front of her eyes.

"God damn it! Come on, Izumi! You ain't giving up yet?", a clearly exasperated Sakura asked. "Hell no! I'm not giving up! You wanted a fight, well now you've got one! I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Kagami!", an irate Konata snapped back. After another exchange of punches and kicks, she grabbed Sakura by the neck and then dragged them both to right in front of the library doors as she called for assistance.

**10:43 am**

Two or three seconds later, Tsukasa and Miyuki came rushing out into the hall to help Konata with the battle. Tsukasa sprinted towards Sakura and after a brief exchange of punches at each other, she managed to wrestle the pipe away from her and into a trash can. Sakura then pulled out her pocket knife and charged at Tsukasa, intending to stab her. However, Konata managed to kick the knife out of Sakura's hand, _with her bad leg no less_, and that was thrown into the trash can as well.

While Sakura was trying to comprehend what just happened, Miyuki jumped up in the air, now angrier and more determined than she had ever been, and delivered a massive karate kick to Sakura's head. The technique did the job as Sakura then toppled to the floor, and slammed her forehead into a locker door on the way down.

**10:44 am**

After several agonizing minutes, the battle was over. Konata snarled, "Yeah, that'll teach you to mess with _us_, you bitch!", before she fell on her bad leg to the floor. Tsukasa and Miyuki rushed toward her and carefully lifted her back up, as she thought to herself, "Yeah, that hurt". She turned to the two girls and expressed her gratitude by saying, "Thanks so much, you guys. I'm not sure what I would have done without you two". "You're welcome Kona-chan", Tsukasa empathized. "We couldn't let you fight that evil girl on your own", Miyuki concurred.

At the exact same time, they heard Kagami crying from a few yards away. Tsukasa then looked over her shoulder at her older twin sister and gasped, "Oh my God! Sis! What happened?", with tears starting to well up in her eyes. Likewise, Miyuki asked, "What's happened with Kagami-san? How badly has she been injured?". Konata responded, "I really don't know. I'll go and see exactly what happened to her, but judging by what that monster just put her through, there's just no way that it can be good".

**10:45 am**

Konata managed to limp over to where Kagami had been ambushed, but with her injured leg every other step was painful. She took just one look at her injured friend and was immediately taken aback. Even though she had expected it to be bad, what Konata found still horrified her. Kagami was sprawled out on the floor, and she was clearly in excruciating pain. Both of her legs were contorted in different positions, her clothes were ripped to shreds and were covered with blood which continued to flow out of her left arm and right leg. Konata sat herself down, and she could see tears falling down Kagami's pale round face.

Konata looked up at Tsukasa and Miyuki, and asked them, "Can you guys **please** go and get help?". "Sure we can, Kona-chan. But if we were to leave, that would leave you and Sis unprotected. And if that girl wakes up while we're gone, God only knows what could happen to you two!", Tsukasa sputtered, before she lost her composure and began to cry. Miyuki wrapped her arms around Tsukasa, trying to calm her down, while at the same time trying to keep herself from losing her composure.

She looked at Konata worriedly and explained, "Tsukasa-san has a point, Konata-san. Both you and Kagami-san are too badly injured to handle a second attack,". "Well, what the hell else are we supposed to do? Kagami has just been attacked and as I'm sure you know she's hurt really bad! We can't just stand around here and do nothing while she's in pain!", Konata snapped back, frustrated and fighting back tears herself, but she knew they were right.

At the same time, Sakura had come to and was now trying to stand up. However, at that moment, two third-year students, Ayaka Suzuki (鈴木 絢香) and Nanami Tanaka (田中 七海), came running up the stairs. When they saw what had happened, they both jumped back in shock. Ayaka exclaimed, "Oh my God! What the hell happened up here?". Konata pointed at Sakura and said, "That girl just went berserk on Kagami for no reason!", then seeing her stumbling towards the trash can where her weapons were, shouted, "Oh god! Someone stop her! She's getting up!". Nanami muttered, "Oh no you don't!", as she and Ayaka charged at the dirty coward and grabbed onto her arms as tightly as they could.

Luckily for them, Sakura was too groggy to put up much of a struggle. It would seem that she had either been beaten up worse than she thought or the effects of the steroids she pumped herself with were wearing off, or maybe both. "You're in a world of shit, girl", Ayaka growled at Sakura as they directed her down the stairs. As they were heading back down, Nanami turned to Konata and explained to her, "Don't worry, we'll be back up in a minute with reinforcements". Sakura, who was still trying to comprehend what just happened, just hung her head in shame.

**10:50 am**

Just as they had promised, Ayaka and Nanami came sprinting back up the stairs a few minutes later, this time with Ms. Kuroi and Nurse Watanabe right behind them. "Ayaka and Nanami told us what happened and we rushed up here as fast as we could", Ms. Kuroi stated, out of breath from running. "What happened to the girl who attacked my sister and Kona-chan?", Tsukasa asked, although she was sobbing so hard they could barely understand her. "They've called the authorities and they're taking Takahashi in.", Kuroi replied back, then she added, "If you'll excuse me, I have a 119 call to make for you guys". With that she pulled out her cell phone to make the call.

"Takahashi? You mean that bully everyone in school always talks about? The one who beats up all the girls in school?", Konata wondered. "Uh, yeah. But don't worry she won't be bugging you guys anymore", Ayaka and Nanami replied together, before they left the scene to head back to class. "No wonder she was so good at fighting back", Konata realized. "So what's the situation with Kagami?", she then asked. Nurse Watanabe who was disinfecting and bandaging the deep wound on Kagami's left arm answered her with, "Well Konata, I don't think I've ever seen someone as badly beat up as Kagami over here. But I'll think she'll be all right after a few weeks". "Oh, good. That makes me feel much better" Konata said, but as she said it, she accidentally raised her bad arm and another spasm of pain hit her. She grabbed her arm again. Nurse Watanabe saw this and said, "I think they'll have to take you to the hospital too".

At that moment, Ms. Kuroi finished the 119 call. "Well, they've just sent their closest ambulance out. It should be here any minute now.", she said. "Did you tell them to get two stretchers ready?", Nurse Watanabe asked. "God damn it! I knew I forgot something!", Kuroi grumbled, realizing her mistake. "It's all right, Ms. Kuroi.", Konata reassured. "I can walk down". "But Konata-san, you've been injured as well.", Miyuki reminded her, "I don't know if you'll be even be able to stand". Konata then stood up to prove her point and responded, "See, it's not that bad. Kagami's the one who's really hurt here. Remember?".

**10:53 am**

Just then, they heard a door open downstairs. "All right, class. Let's head back up.", they heard the gym teacher, Mr. Yamamoto, say to his students. He reached the top of the stairs, soaked from the rain which had just started outside, about 25 feet ahead of the rest of the class and when he saw what had happened, he stopped in his tracks and sputtered, "What the hell? All right, I want to know right now who is responsible for this mess!".

To that, Ms. Kuroi responded, "Sakura Takahashi, our own personal troublemaker. She attacked Ms. Hiiragi and Ms. Izumi a few minutes ago". Just then, two other girls ran up the stairs. One of them said, "Ms. Kuroi, Principal Yoshimizu needs to talk to you. He said something about directing the paramedics in".

Ms. Kuroi turned to Mr. Yamamoto and asked, "Hey Makoto, can you keep watch until the paramedics get here? Hayato wants me to watch for the ambulance". Mr. Yamamoto responded, "Well, I do have a class, but sure I'll keep watch". Ms. Kuroi responded, "Thanks so much", as she headed back down. She then turned towards the stairs and headed down.

At the same time, Mr. Yamamoto's students came running back up the stairs, their clothes also soaked through from the rain. They had heard the whole conversation and they too froze in their tracks at the top of the stairs. Among the various things they were being said were "Oh my God!", "What the fuck?", "Who did this?", "Holy shit!", "That bully is gonna to pay big time!", and "Whoever did this should be locked in an asylum!".

**10:55 am**

Konata looked at Kagami and said to her, "Hold on, Kagami. The paramedics will be here any minute now". She took out a tissue from her pocket and wiped Kagami's tear-filled eyes with it. Kagami managed to calm down for a moment and say, "T-Th-Thank you, K-Konata", then she added, "I-I'm sorry that I m-made y-you go through this too", then she started to cry again when another particularly strong spasm of pain hit her.

Konata responded, "Oh, don't worry, Kaga-min. It was my fault. I should have gone with you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try to rescue you. You're the best friend I ever had, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.". Kagami was clearly touched by her words and asked, "D-do you really mean that, Konata?". "Hell yeah. Like I said, my life really wouldn't be worth living without you here. Not even watching anime or reading manga would feel the same without you around", Konata replied. Kagami managed to smile a little bit and said, "That's the nicest thing I've ever heard you say to me. Thank you".

Meanwhile, Tsukasa and Miyuki had seen the whole conversation between Konata and Kagami. Tsukasa wiped the tears away from her eyes and asked, "Yuki-chan, did you hear what Kona-chan just said about Sis?". Miyuki answered her with, "Yes, I think it's so sweet, despite what just happened to them".

At that moment, the elevator doors opened and the paramedics came rushing in with a stretcher. They were being led by Ms. Kuroi and Assistant Principal Takemoto. The students from the gym class had to clear the way for them to get through. Mr. Takemoto yelled over the crowd, "Excuse us! Coming through! Out of our way!". Ms. Kuroi shouted as they continued through, "Yo! Move it, people! Stand clear!"

**10:58 am**

The paramedics got there and when they saw the damage, even the head paramedic was taken aback. "Damn! What the hell happened up here?", he asked. "These two girls here were attacked by another student", Mr. Takemoto answered. "And the girl responsible for this mess is thankfully being taken into police custody as we speak", Mr. Yamamoto added. The paramedics carefully lifted Kagami onto the stretcher and made sure she was safely secured in, for if she fell off, her injuries could become worse.

Meanwhile, Tsukasa and Miyuki helped Konata back up. "Excuse me, sir, but Kona-chan has been hurt, too", Tsukasa told them, managing to calm down for a moment. "She took some hits herself while trying to protect Kagami-san", Miyuki added. One of them was about to rush down to get a wheelchair, but Konata stopped him by saying, "Don't worry, I can walk myself", as the four girls were herded into the elevator (The stairs were too risky since the stretcher had wheels).

They got down to the first floor where they saw another huge group of students (probably anywhere from 150 to 200) watching them. Konata looked down at Kagami and asked her, "Has your pain gone down at all, Kagami?". To that, Kagami answered, "No, it hasn't let up at all". Konata saw new tears flowing down her friend's face. She got out another tissue and wiped Kagami's eyes with it.

Right as they got out the front door, Konata slipped on her bad leg on a puddle on the stairs and nearly fell down on the concrete, however one of the paramedics managed to catch her. She held on to his shoulder with her good arm the rest of the way down the steps and to about 4 or 5 feet away from the ambulance door. The back doors were opened, and the entrance ramp was lowered down. Kagami was wheeled into the ambulance and secured in. Konata was then helped in, placed into a seat and buckled in. Tsukasa and Miyuki walked in as well and they sat down next to Konata.

One of the paramedics walked in and shut the back doors from behind, while the other two ran to the cab. Outside the ambulance, Ms. Kuroi knocked on the driver's window and asked, "Hey, where is this ambulance going anyway?". The driver answered back, "Well, judging by what we have, it looks like these guys will be transferred to Tokyo Medical Center". She thanked him and headed back inside. The ambulance then pulled out of the entrance and onto the main road. As the ambulance pulled out, there were anywhere from 200 to 250 students either outside or right near the front door. Takemoto turned around to look at them and said, "All right, let's get back to class. There's nothing more for you to see out here".

Kuroi looked at him and asked, "Rokuro, don't you think the parents should know about this?". To that, he responded, "We're already on that, Nanako. Hayoto is informing Mr. and Mrs. Hiiragi about the situation, and I'm about to contact Mr. Izumi about what just happened. I'd suggest you explain this to Mr. and Mrs. Takara as well since their daughter went with them in the ambulance". "Yes sir, right away", Kuroi answered back. Suddenly, they heard students yelling and crashing noises coming from inside the school. "Now what's going on?", Kuroi grumbled. "I'm not sure, but whatever it is we need to stop it", Takemoto responded.

With that, they charged back into the school to stop the struggle. They found that while the police were trying to transfer Sakura, who was now handcuffed, out of the school, many of the students attempted to dish out their own form of justice, by trying to get at her. It took the efforts of every teacher and other staff members on the first floor to finally calm the students down and restrain them long enough to allow the police to place her into the back of the squad car and into their custody.

* * *

Author's Notes

Chapter revised on Sunday **April 15, 2012.**

Principal Hayato Yoshimizu (吉水 隼人) is of course named after **Kagami Yoshimizu **(美水 かがみ), the creator of Lucky Star. He was a consultant for the series and he wrote the script for Episode 24.

Assistant Prinicipal Rokuro Takemoto (武本 六郎) is named after **Yasuhiro Takemoto **(武本 康弘), the second director of Lucky Star. Takemoto was credited as the series director from Episode 5 onward. He also storyboarded Episodes 6, 12, 18 and 24, and directed Episode 6. He was also series director for the two Full Metal Panic spinoffs and Kyoto Animation's latest series, Hyouka, and he storyboard and directed episodes for AIR, Haruhi, Kanon, Clannad, K-ON and Nichijou.

Mr. Makoto Yamamoto (山本 誠) is named after **Yutaka Yamamoto** (山本 寛), the first director of Lucky Star. Yamamoto was credited as series director until being fired by Kyoto Animation after Episode 4. He wrote Episodes 4, 10 and 23, storyboarded Episodes 1, 2 and 18, directed Episode 1, and created the famous opening sequence. Before Lucky Star, he storyboarded and directed episodes for FMP, AIR, Haruhi and Kanon. After leaving Kyoto Animation, he founded his own animation studio, Ordet Animation Co, Ltd.


	5. Reactions and a Love Confession

Note: In the previous chapter, Kagami was mercilessly and needlessly attacked by Sakura Takahashi, and she only stopped when Konata took action against her. Even though Sakura had managed to injure Konata during this struggle, Konata (along with Tsukasa and Miyuki) still managed to stop her. We also explored the immediate aftermath of the attack, in which we learned that Kagami had been seriously injured. In this chapter, the parents will learn about what just happened.

* * *

**11:05 am**

At the Hiiragi household, it was at first going like a normal day. Tadao was sitting at the kitchen table, with a coffee cup in one hand and the newspaper in the other. Miki was standing at the kitchen sink cleaning the dishes from that morning's breakfast. Meanwhile, the two eldest Hiiragi children, Inori and Matsuri, were sitting on the couch watching TV (In case you're wondering, they had both graduated at this point).

Suddenly the telephone in the living room started ringing. Not wanting to disturb their parents, they checked the caller ID. The ID said RYOUOU HIGH in capital bold letters. "That's weird", Inori said, "The school doesn't usually call here". "Maybe something happened", Matsuri answered back as she picked up the phone and said, "Hiiragi residence", while her sister leaned closer to hear.

"Hello, this is Principal Yoshimizu of Ryouou High, and I'm afraid I am the bearer of bad news". "Who's that on the phone?", Miki asked. "The school principal.", Inori responded back. Meanwhile, Tadao got up out of his chair and said, "Let me handle this". He picked up the phone while the two girls listened in. After about a minute of listening to Yoshimizu, he said, "Oh, I see. Well thank you Mr. Yoshimizu", then hung up and sighed. At that moment Miki walked into the living room, saw the worried look on her children's faces and said, "Uh oh, what happened?".

"Some girl at the school just suddenly went crazy this morning and attacked Kagami", Inori responded, "They had to send her and another girl to Tokyo Medical Center". To that, Matsuri added, "He said that Tsukasa was so upset about Kagami that they had to bring her in too". With that everyone threw on their hats and coats and rushed to the car, with Tadao taking the driver's seat, Miki taking the adjacent seat, and Inori and Matsuri taking the back seats. They pulled out of the driveway and sped off to the hospital.

Meanwhile, at the Izumi household, just as at the Hiiragi household, things were normal at first. Sojiro was in the living room working on another manuscript on his typewriter. Meanwhile, in Konata's room, Yui was reading some of the manga that Konata had stored on her shelf, while Yutaka was on the bed sound asleep exhausted from the long ride over. Anyway at that time, the phone rang and Sojiro walked over to see who was calling.

The caller ID read RYOYOU HIGH, and he thought to himself, "Oh boy, either Konata flunked her exams or something bad as happened", as he picked up the phone and said "Yes, this is Mr. Izumi, how can I help you?". On the other end, Mr. Takemoto said, "Hello, Mr. Izumi. This is Vice Principal Takemoto, and I'm afraid I have some bad news for you". "Please don't tell me Konata flunked her exams", Sojiro explained. "Not this time, Mr. Izumi. That's not why I called", Mr. Takemoto continued.

After learning about what had gone down, Sojiro hung up the phone and threw on his coat. Yui had heard the commotion and walked to the living room. She asked, "What's going on? Why are you in such a hurry?". He responded quickly, "There was an attack at the school this morning. Konata was trying to protect another girl, and she got hurt pretty bad. They're both on their way to Tokyo Medical Center, so that's where I'm heading right now".

He was about to run for the door when she grabbed his arm and said, "Now hold on a second, if you're leaving what am I going to tell Sis if she asks where you went?". Sojiro answered her question with, "Just tell Yutaka that I went to deliver another manuscript. I don't want her worrying about it". Yui replied, "I guess you're right. With her frail nature, worrying might make her sick. But, you'll probably be gone at least 3 or 4 hours. What am I supposed to tell her then". To that Sojiro told her, "Well Yui, If I'm gone more than 3 hours, which admittedly I probably will be, then you can tell Yutaka what really happened". With that, he flew out the door and into his car as fast as a bullet. As his older niece looked out the window in worry, he pulled out and speeded away.

At the exact same time, at the Takara household, things were going normally as well. Hachiro (the name of Miyuki's father) and Yukari were in a romantic embrace in their bedroom when the phone rang. Hachiro picked up the phone and said, "Takara residence". On the other end, Ms. Kuroi answered him by telling him everything that had gone down and how their daughter had gone with her friends in the ambulance.

He responded back with "Okay, we'll head right down". Yukari walked up to him and asked, "Hachiro, who was that on the phone?". Hachiro responded with, "Well Yukari, apparently two of Miyuki's friends were attacked this morning. Luckily, she wasn't hurt but she went with them to Tokyo Medical Center". Yukari then asked, "So is that where we're going now?". To that, Hachiro responded, "That's right, honey. Come on, maybe we can beat the ambulance to the hospital". With that, they ran to the car and got in. Hachiro took the driver's seat and Yukari took the passenger seat. As soon as they got in, he said "Buckle up tightly and hang on to something, dear! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!". With that, he slammed on the gas pedal and the car speeded off to the hospital.

**11:15 am**

Meanwhile inside the ambulance, things weren't getting any better. They were on the interstate and had just gotten within downtown Tokyo, when the paramedic in the passenger seat saw a situation through the activated windsheild wipers. He pointed straight ahead and said to the driver, "Heads up man, massive gridlock at 12 o'clock". The driver saw a huge traffic jam at least 80 cars deep and taking up all 5 lanes, about 50 feet away, which was caused by a massive 20 car pileup on the other end of it (thankfully, no one lost their lives in that accident).

They tried to turn onto the onramp to avoid the gridlock but they just missed it and when they tried to back up, they nearly hit two oncoming cars behind them. So they were now stuck and with every lane filled with cars, it was too risky to try to plow through the cars. The passenger paramedic picked up the reciever of the two way radio and notified the hospital, "Engine #12 to TMC, we're trapped in heavy gridlock and can't get through without causing more problems. I really hate to say it, we'll likely be arriving later than expected. Over". To that the chief of staff at TMC replied back, "Roger that. We're all ready for your arrival. Get here as soon as you can. Over".

Konata managed to hear this through the open wall window. She looked at Tsukasa and Miyuki and said, "Looks like it might be a while before we get to the hospital". Konata then looked at Kagami and tried to reassure her by saying, "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get there soon". Kagami turned her head and asked, "Where is this ambulance taking us?". "I'm not sure", Konata admitted. "I believe they said this ambulance is taking us to Tokyo Medical Center", Miyuki answered. "Thanks, I can always count on you to answer stuff I don't know", Konata replied back, before turning to look at Kagami.

She could see the pain in her friend's teary eyes, and she was ashamed for letting her friend be attacked the way she was. And that is when she felt the tears flow down her own face. "Why did I have to let this happen to you?", Konata cried out as she covered her face with her hands and collapsed into sobs.

Tsukasa saw this, put her arm around her friend and still fighting her own tears said, "P-Please don't c-cry K-Kona-chan. T-This wasn't your f-fault". "She's right, Konata-san", Miyuki added, "I'm sure everything will turn out all right in the end". Konata managed to calm down a little bit and reply, "I-I know. B-But just l-look at w-what happened to Kagami. I can't help but feel it's my fault. I mean the way it played out was almost exactly the way it happened in that nightmare".

Kagami then lifted her head and replied, "Come on now, Konata. It wasn't your fault and it wasn't my fault either. The only person who's at fault is that girl. I don't know why this happened but it did and it's all over now. So please don't feel guilty about it". Konata looked at Kagami and said, "I know you're right Kagami, but I can't help but feel horrible about what happened to you today". To that, Kagami reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll be all right after a while, I'm sure. You know, I could have died in that hallway this morning, that is, if you hadn't come to my rescue. You might not be the smartest girl I know, but this morning you were without a doubt one of the bravest".

Konata, who was obviously surprised by what she heard, asked, "Is that the truth?". Kagami nodded and replied, "Yes, I meant every word". Both girls then reached out to each other and their hands interlocked. After a few more minutes, they felt the vehicle moving again. The passenger paramedic turned to face them and said, "Good news, girls. The road ahead is finally all clear now. So that means now we can get right to the hospital. We should be there in like 5 minutes. It's right off the next exit". With that, the driver stepped on the gas and the ambulance was back on its course.

**11:36 am**

While the ambulance was closing in on TMC, the rest of the Hiiragi family arrived, going in through the waiting room entrance of the emergency department. Tadao walked up to the registration desk and said, "We're looking for where Kagami Hiiragi is". The nurse at the desk (her first week on the job and not having been informed about what happened directly) gave him a confused look and asked, "Who's Hiiragi? What now?". Miki then walked up to the desk and explained, "She's our daughter. She was attacked and they said she was being sent here to Tokyo Medical". The nurse then said, "Oh! Now I see. Well, I'm afraid she hasn't arrived yet".

She might have said this just a little too loudly as hearing this response enraged both Inori and Matsuri. "What do you mean that Kagami isn't here yet?", Matsuri screamed. The nurse stammered, "W-Well t-they said that the ambulance got caught i-in a t-traffic jam". "Your ambulances are getting stuck in traffic jams? What kind of crappy rundown hospital are you guys running here?", Inori shrieked. Their parents saw their outburst and tried desperately to calm them down. Tadao turned towards the nurse and said with a shrug, "I apologize for the behavior of my daughters". Miki added to his response by saying, "They've never gone through something like this before".

Meanwhile, Sojiro had entered the waiting room and asked, "What's going on here?". Tadao, trying to keep Inori from slipping from his grasp, responded with, "Waiting for Kagami. She was attacked this morning". Sojiro asked, "Wait, your girl's been hurt too?". To that, Miki, struggling to keep Matsuri from escaping her grasp, answered, "Yes. Wait, don't tell me Konata's been hurt as well". Sojiro nodded "Yes" in reply to that and said, "I'm afraid so. They told me that Konata had gotten hurt trying to protect another girl".

At the same time, Hachiro and Yukari came in as well, waiting for _their _daughter to arrive. Yukari said, "Look honey, there's Mr. & Mrs. Hiiragi and Mr. Izumi". Hachiro responded to her statement with, "They must be the parents of Miyuki's friends". He then walked up to them and said, "What's going on here?". The others looked at him with a confused expression. He explained to them, "So you must be the parents of Miyuki's classmates. Well, isn't this unusual. They told me she went with them in the ambulance. By the way where are they?". Miki told him, "I'm afraid the ambulance isn't quite here yet". To that, Tadao added to his wife's answer with, "Apparently it got caught in a traffic jam, as you can see my other two girls aren't too happy about that".

By now, Inori and Matsuri were reduced to tears over their worry for their younger sibling. Yukari went up to the two and said, "There there, I'm sure your sister will be fine in the end". Hachiro looked at the two men next to him and said, "I tell you, I for one, feel terrible about what happened. But I'm sure everything will be all right eventually".

At that moment, another doctor called out to the adults, "All right, I've just gotten word that the ambulance has gotten out of that traffic jam and it should be here any minute now". Everyone in the room breathed a collective sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Inori and Matsuri, wiping away their tears, walked up to the nurse and sincerly apologized for their behavior. Being a generally nice person, she not only forgave them but offered to help them any way she could. And it was at that moment, that they heard the most welcome sound of ambulance sirens. They had arrived at last.

**11:40 am**

After being held up in traffic for 20 minutes, it only took 5 minutes for Ambulance #12 to reach Tokyo Medical Center. It pulled up to the ambulance entrance of the Emergency Department. The driver and the two passenger paramedics jumped out of the vehicle while the driver mumbled, "Last stop! Everyone off!". One of the paramedics opened the back door of the vehicle and said, "All right ladies, we're here finally".

They then unhooked the stretcher, lowered the entrance ramp, and wheeled Kagami out. Konata then followed Kagami out of the vehicle, having been helped by Tsukasa and Miyuki. Together the group walked through the entrance and into the emergency department and into Room #24. After they were all checked in with the staff, Tsukasa and Miyuki were told that they would have to wait in the waiting room for the time being, but they were also reassured that everything would be fine. Another nurse then led them through a hallway to the waiting room.

Meanwhile, Konata and Kagami were talking to each other while everything was getting ready for them. "Hey Kagami. Are you feeling any better?", Konata asked, sitting in a wheelchair. "Not really", Kagami stated, still laying on the stretcher. To that, Konata sighed and lamented, "I still wish I could have stopped that beast of a girl sooner". Kagami reassured her, "It's all right Konata, you did your best, and I really appreciate it". Konata responded, "Well, I did have some help from Tsukasa and Miyuki-san. They were the ones who really ended the battle, and I tell you without those two, we would have _both _been in _big_ trouble". "Yeah, but the fact that you risked your own life to rescue me, really makes me grateful to have a friend like you", Kagami stated.

Konata blushed and said, "Aw shucks, thanks Kaga-min. But you know, I have something very important to tell you. Something I've wanted to tell you ever since we first met". Kagami obviously seemed interested and asked, "Really? Well, what is it?". "Now before I say it, promise me that you won't get mad or freak out on me", Konata warned her. Kagami sighed and said, "All right Konata, I promise, now what it is that you wanted to say?". Konata then said, "All right, here I go". She took a deep breath and came right out rather nervously and with her blush becoming more obvious, "I love you, Kagami".

Kagami's initial reaction was one of total shock and confusion. She then asked, "W-What did you say?", while starting to turn red. Konata continued, "I love you. I love everything about you, Kagami, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I've never told you until right now because I was too afraid. After going up against Takahashi, I figured explaining my feelings towards you would be a lot easier. So what do you think?". "How long have you felt this way?", Kagami wondered. "Ever since the day we first met, way back in 7th grade", Konata answered.

"I-I d-don't know what to say.", Kagami admitted as her face turned a bright shade of red. To that, Konata stammered nervously, "Well, it's all right. I don't need an answer right away. Take as long as you need to decide". "Maybe that's a good idea, because I really need to think about this one. I mean this is so sudden.", Kagami stated. "Well, no matter what you decide, just please promise me we can still be friends. Please?", Konata asked desperately.

Kagami sighed and said, "Okay, if it will make you feel any better, we'll still be friends". "Do you promise?", Konata asked. "Cross my heart and hope to die", Kagami assured. "Oh good, that makes me feel so much better", Konata admitted. Just then one of the doctors came in and said, "All right girls, we'll be taking you two to Radiology (the X-ray room) now". And with that they were led off.

**11:52 am**

Meanwhile back inside in the waiting room, everyone was nervously waiting for the results of the X-rays. Tsukasa lamented, "I'd wish they'd hurry up with those X-rays". "I'm sure they'll be done soon", Inori reassured her. "Exactly, they take a minute or two to develop. Is that right, Miyuki-chan?", Matsuri added. To that, Miyuki answered, "Yes, exactly right". Just then one of the doctors came out the door.

He walked up to the parents and said, "Hello there, I'm Dr. Machida. I'll be taking care of Ms. Hiiragi and Ms. Izumi today". "So what's the prognosis, doctor?", Tadao asked. "Well, Mr. Hiiragi, quite frankly it isn't pretty", Dr. Machida responded. "Just exactly how badly hurt is Kagami?", Miki wondered. To that, the doctor explained, "Well, Kagami has obtained a transverse radioulnar fracture of the right arm, an oblique fracture of the right fibula, and a comminuted fracture of the left ankle, not to mention a deep cut on her left arm and another deep cut on her right leg".

"What about Konata? How bad is she hurt?", Sojiro asked. "Well, Mr. Izumi, Konata has obtained a comminuted fracture of her left wrist, a severely sprained right ankle, and a pretty nasty bruise on her forehead. We did a CT scan and luckily, it doesn't look like she has a concussion", the doctor answered back. Meanwhile, the other girls were rather confused about most of the things Dr. Machida had said. He looked at them and said, "Those things I spoke of were the medical terms for certain types of bone fractures". This cleared things up for them slightly.

He looked at the adults and continued, "So as I was saying, your children will be just fine once we put the casts on. Usually, teenagers tend to heal faster, so they should be all better within a few weeks". This gave everyone a considerable amount of relief. "They are being moved to our Orthopaedic Department right now, which is located on the second floor. If you'd like to see them, follow me to the elevator", he concluded. With that they walked to an elevator that would take them to the second floor and went in. The doctor pushed the button and the door closed and they went up.

* * *

Author's Notes

Chapter revised on Monday **April 16, 2012**

Dr. Machida is named after **Touko Machida **(待田 堂子), Lucky Star's head writer. She wrote the script for Episodes 1, 2, 3, 9, 13, 17, 18 and 23 for a total of 8 episodes.


	6. The Hours After and Justice is Served

**12:00 pm**

Meanwhile, inside the Orthopaedics department, the doctors who usually put the casts on were preparing to get to work on the two girls. However, Konata refused to accept any kind of help from the doctors until they fixed Kagami up first. One of the female doctors, Dr. Horiguchi tried to explain to her, "Ms. Izumi, it is against our policy to waste any time in treating our patients". To that Konata shot back, "I don't care about your policy. Kagami's the one who's really hurt here, not me. Now if you don't mind could you _please_ just work on her first?".

Kagami turned her head and asked, "Konata, could you please calm down and let the doctors help you out too?". Konata reiterated, "But Kagami, you're hurt a lot worse than I am! I'll just wait for them to finish working on you". Another male doctor, Dr. Yoshioka asked her wanting to be sure, "Are you _sure _that you want us to work on Ms. Hiiragi first?". Konata responded firmly, "Yes, I've been sure about that since the moment we got here".

At the same time, Dr. Machida opened the door. "Okay, right in here, everyone. Now before we head in, I should warn you it might be a bit of a shock to see them like this", he warned. He and the rest of his group came in. It _was_ a shock to see them like that. When Inori and Matsuri took a look at Kagami, they nearly fainted from the shock of seeing her like that. Luckily, their mother and father caught them before they fell to the floor. Anyway, there were a total of 6 doctors in the department, so it took them about 90 minutes to apply the casts.

At one point while they were working on Kagami, Tsukasa looked at Konata and asked, "Why aren't you being helped, Kona-chan?". Konata answered, "Well, I told them I wanted them to help out Kagami first. After all, she got it a lot worse than me". Then Miyuki explained, "But Konata-san, you've still been injured as well. And leaving your injuries untreated for too long could lead to serious problems". However, Konata insisted, "Don't worry, I'll be just fine. Besides, it looks like they're almost done".

She was right for a few minutes later they finished up on Kagami. Dr. Machida turned and said, "All right now it's your turn Ms. Izumi". He helped Konata into the chair where the patients sat down. While he and the other doctors fixed Konata up, Kagami sat in a wheelchair deep in thought. "Wow, when she told me she loved me I guess she really did mean it. I mean, I might be dead if it wasn't for her stepping in. And she waited for them to finish up on me, before she accepted help herself", she thought.

As Konata's injuries were not as extensive as Kagami's, it only took about 45 minutes to apply her arm cast, and the bandage on her leg. When they finished, Dr. Machida said, "All right Ms. Izumi, looks like we're done here". He handed her a crutch to help her walk down. As the group exited the hospital and into the parking lot, they seperated and when their separate ways. During this, Kagami thought to herself, "You know, maybe I do love Konata after all. But I'll need to give this a little more thought".

**3:08 pm**

It took about 30 minutes for the Izumi's to get home from the hospital. Konata hobbled in the house on her crutch while her father held open the door. Yui saw her and sputtered, "Yikes! Look what's happened to you". Konata plopped down on the couch and explained, "Don't worry Nee-san, a few weeks and I'll be fine. By the way, where's Yu-chan?". "She's in the bathroom. She found out what happened to you and your friend, I don't know how. The poor girl was so worried she threw up twice already".

At that moment, Yutaka, clearly drained of strength, came out of the bathroom. She looked at Konata and gasped, "Onee-chan! Thank god you're okay!". Konata looked at her and said, "Hiya Yu-chan. Hey what's wrong?". Yutaka responded, "Well, I heard Yui and your dad talking about what happened to you this morning. And I guess I worried myself sick. What's that on your head?". Konata replied, "Well, it was from this morning, this girl rammed my head into the lockers. Also as you can see, my wrist is busted and ankle is pretty badly sprained". Yutaka grimaced at the thought. "However, Kagami had it a lot worse than me", Konata continued.

"What do you mean?", Yutaka wondered. "Well, her left arm and her right leg were cut really bad, her right arm was broken, and her left ankle and her right leg were broken as well", Konata explained. "Goddamn! Whoever did that to you guys must have a black hole for a heart", Yui responded, clearly quite angry.

"When I saw that beast of a girl attacking her, I felt I had no choice but to intervene. I couldn't let that nightmare become a reality", Konata replied, "Now if you guys don't mind, I think I'm going to go to my room and lay down for a while". "That sounds like a good idea. You've had a pretty long day", Yui said to her. "We'll try to be quiet so as not to wake you up", Yutaka added. "Thanks guys.", Konata answered back as she hobbled to her room and onto her bed. She didn't go to sleep, but instead thought for a while.

**5:48 pm**

Kagami woke up and found herself on her bed. "Now, wait a second, how'd I get in here?", she wondered, "Wasn't I just in the car?". Tsukasa, who was sitting in a chair right next to the bed, looked at her and explained to her, "You fell asleep during the ride home, Sis". "I did?", Kagami asked. "Yes, we were just getting off the highway when I saw that you were asleep.", Tsukasa replied.

Meanwhile, Inori and Matsuri entered the room as well. "Hey, look who just woke up", Inori said. "Did you have a nice nap?", Matsuri asked. To that Kagami replied, "Um, I guess I did, I don't know". "Well, after the day you've had I'm not surprised", Inori stated. "Yeah, I know I'd be tired too if I went through what you did today", Matsuri added. "Good thing Konata came in to rescue me or else I might not even be here right now", Kagami replied. "Yeah, Kona-chan sure was brave to do that", Tsukasa added.

With that, the three sisters decided to head out to let their sister rest. After they headed out, Kagami continued to think. She thought, "I still can't believe what's happened today. Especially when Konata told me that she loved me. I really didn't know what to think. But I've have made my mind on what to tell her".

**11:24 pm**

Konata sat up in her bed watching TV, making sure to keep the volume down so as not to disturb Yutaka, who had already fallen asleep. Additionally, she had put her cellphone in her pocket and set it on vibrate. As she had planned earlier, Konata was watching the premiere of Haruka Seventeen. She thought to herself, "I might be a die-hard anime fan, but this show is pretty good for live action". Then, she felt her cellphone vibrate. She took it out of her pocket and saw the caller ID said, "Hiiragi Residence", much to her surprise. She opened the little door thing and whispered, "Konata here, what's up?".

On the other end, Kagami, who was laying on her bed, answered back, "Hello Konata, it's Kagami". Konata responded, "Oh hiya Kagami. Listen, I got to keep it down because Yutaka's just fallen asleep. So what's on your mind?". "Well, I thought about what told me earlier, and my answer is yes", Kagami stated. "What'd you just say?", Konata asked. To that, Kagami responded, "I love you, Konata. It took me a while to muster up the willpower to call you because I wasn't sure if I did love you or not. But I'm sure now".

Konata felt her heart rise as she said, "Oh my god. Kagami, do you really mean that?". Kagami said confidently, "I sure do, Konata". "Wow, that means so much to me.", Konata answered back as she wiped away a tear of joy. "But Konata, can you do me one favor?", Kagami asked. "Well sure, anything for you Kagami.", Konata replied back.

"Do you think we can keep our love for each other secret for right now?", Kagami asked. "You know what, that actually sounds like a really good idea.", Konata admitted, "That will probably be best for the both of us and our families". With that, they said their goodbyes and hung up. As Konata continued to watch Haruka Seventeen, she kept thinking to herself, "I really love her and she loves me back".

**Thursday July 7, 2005, 3:00 pm**

Konata walked up to the door of the Hiiragi household, hanging on to her walking stick with one hand, and carrying two presents and two bouquets of flowers in the other. Yutaka, who was standing right next to her knocked on the door for her. The door opened and Tsukasa was standing at the door with Kagami right behind her in her wheelchair. Tsukasa said, "Hiya Kona-chan!". Kagami added, "Come on in!". Konata said, "Happy birthday, guys!", as she walked in and handed them the flowers and the presents. "Thanks!", the twins said at the same time. Konata said,

"Oh by the way, this is my cousin Yutaka". Yutaka stated, "Hello, nice to meet you two". The twins said, "Hello". She handed them the presents she had bought them as she said, "These are for you guys". "Thank you", the twins said together. "You're welcome", Yutaka answered. "The party's in the living room", Tsukasa said, "Come on, I'll show you".

Meanwhile, Kagami looked at Konata and asked, "So how was that alien invasion movie?". Konata answered her question with "It was good, but not quite what I expected". Then Konata looked into her friend's eyes and explained, "But that's not really important. Have you heard anything more about the fiend that attacked you yet?".

Kagami answered back, "Yeah, it said in the paper that she got arrested for what she did to us. She could be in jail for up to 25 years. When she was being led out of the school, she was nearly killed by an angry mob".

Konata smirked and stated, "Well, after what that asshole did to you, she deserved that. Anyway, I'm just glad you're going to be all right". Kagami looked at her and said, "Thanks again for saving me. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't stopped her". Konata blushed and answered, "Oh shucks. It was nothing".

With that, they leaned closer together and hugged each other. Then they put their lips together and shared their "first kiss". Konata whispered to her friend, "Happy birthday my dear Kaga-min". Kagami whispered back, "Thank you, Konata". And with that they went into the living room to join the rest of the party.

**Epilogue**

Sakura Takahashi ended up being charged with 1 count of first degree assualt with a deadly weapon, 1 count of second degree assault with a deadly weapon, and drug possession. The trial started on Monday July 11, 2005 and ended six weeks later on Friday August 19, 2005. After deliberating only 30 minutes, the jury found her guilty on all charges.

She might have been proud of what she did to Kagami, saying that she had "taught that bitch a lesson". But in terms of sentencing, it was no laughing matter. Sakura ended up being sentenced to 20 years in prison for this attack. Obviously, the Hiiragi's and the Izumi's earned some well deserved peace of mind. None, however, were happier than Konata. She was heard to say right after the trial ended, "That monster finally got what she deserved".

In my opinion, I agree wholeheartedly with Konata. Sakura had no right to do what she did to Kagami. But now justice has been served and boy was it sweet.

P.S. Konata and Kagami began dating on December 23, 2005, 5 months after they revealed their feelings to each other. Let's hope that they have a long and romantic relationship.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Chapter revised on Monday **April 16, 2012**

Dr. Yoshioka is named after **Shinobu Yoshioka **(吉岡 忍), a former storyboard artist and episode director at Kyoto Animation. Yoshioka storyboarded and directed Episodes 3, 9, 16, and 23. After Lucky Star ended, he left Kyoto Animation to join Ordet Animation.

Dr. Horiguchi is named after **Yukiko Horiguchi **(堀口 悠紀子), the character designer as well as the chief animation director of Lucky Star. Horiguchi was the animation director on Episodes 1, 13 and 24 as well as the opening sequence, and she also worked on key animation for Episodes 1, 7, 8, 19 and 24 as well as the opening credits.


End file.
